Ease on down the road

So today I see an article that a small company in India has developed a car that runs on air. On AIR! True - compressed air. But this thing is inexpensive and can either fill up at an official compressed air refilling station for $2 or be plugged into electricity for 4 hours. Um... hello? Are you serious?? That is awesome!

But here's the catch. It will never sell here. Why? Well, there aren't any airbags. Yup. And no side restraints. Or crumple zones. All the things that make us "safe". And here is where I'm torn. Mama wants her ABS and side air bags, but at the same time I feel that in a freaking free-will market economy I should be able to legally choose between roll over safety and zero emissions. Right now I can choose to spend $40K on a Prius with all the bells and whistles, or I can pay $2K for some crap car that was built in the 70's with no safety features and sucks gas like it's like the Quick Bunny downing chocolate milk. Why, as a red-blooded American consumer, why can't I choose my own features? Sure - charge me more for insurance. Fine. But the fact that it can't even legally be a choice just kinda bugs me. Obviously.

And then there is the electric Reva which actually does have lots of safety features (side impact beams, dent proof body panels, steel frame) and is being driven all over Europe. I read somewhere that it costs about $5K! True, the EU said it's not a car, it's a quadricycle. But folks can still drive it on open roads! Are we in the US just missing out on these opportunities because we don't have a real category for something with 3 or 4 wheels that is somewhere between a bike and a car?

Well, at least we have Phoenix Motorcars. They had the smart idea of buying a "car" made on the cheap in Korea - but told them to hold the whole engine thing. Then they just stick in their nifty battery & electric engine. Presto! Instant electric car! And get this - this California based company is starting out w/ trucks and SUVs! The big buyers initially are big companies who are replacing their fleets. As much as it kinda bugs me that we can't immediately get our hands on them, this really is the best ecological solution as these fleets are on the roads FAR more than someone like me.

Sigh... I think it's time to put another dollar in my "I want a Prius" jar.